Ducks' Ryan Getzlaf will miss Game 4 against Dallas Stars

Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf will not play in Game 4 of the Western Conference quarterfinals against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night because of an injury he sustained in Monday's Game 3 loss.

Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf will not play in Game 4 of the Western Conference quarterfinals against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night because of an injury he sustained in Monday's Game 3 loss. (Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press)

Lance PugmireThis post has been updated. See the note below for details.

DALLAS -- Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf was scratched from the Game 4 lineup Wednesday with anupper-body injury, the team announced minutes before the 5 p.m. game.

Getzlaf, with 31 goals and 56 assists during the season, has two goals and two assistsin the first-round Western Conference playoff series that Anaheim leads 2-1.

The injury was sustained during Game 3, a hockey official close to the situation butunauthorized to speak about it publicly told The Times.

[UPDATED, 5:35 p.m. PDT, April 23: Getzlaf boarded a flight back to Southern California at 4 p.m. Central time to get immediate treatment, with the hope of playing in Game 5 Friday, the Ducks said.]

Getzlaf was limited to one shot in more than 21 minutes of ice time in Monday’s 3-0 Game 3 loss to the Dallas Stars and didn’t practice with the team either Tuesday orbefore Wednesday’s game in the morning.

But that type of rest was seen as routine this time of year, especially for Getzlaf, whosuffered a nasty laceration under his mouth when struck by a puck under themouth in Game 1.

Early Friday morning, Getzlaf’s wife, Paige, gave birth to the couple’s third child, daughterWilla.

Then, in Game 3, Getzlaf fought with Stars forward Antoine Roussel and was punchedtoward the head area.

Roussel said he thinks he was punched at by Getzlaf first before delivering the left handtoward the facial guard.

“I try to protect my goalie and not let in any goal, because he’s a dangerous player andhe’s around the net,” Roussel said Wednesday morning. “Just like everybody,they don’t like to get hit. I understand that, so it’s the same for us.”

It’s not known precisely when Getzlaf was hurt, or what he injured.

Ducks rookie center Rickard Rakell is expected to start on the first line alongside starCorey Perry and recent minor league call-up Emerson Etem of Long Beach.